The South Australian Political Landscape

[Psyber]

It is a little bit surprising to hear that as the reason behind taking some of the weighting off examinations has been to encourage students to improve their research and analytical skills. If assessment was just via a three hour written examination, there would be little opportunity for research or analytical skills to be assessed. Rather, a lot of those examinations just required you to 'rote learn' for the examination. Within a month or so after the examination, a lot of what you had learned was likely to have been forgotten.
Today, at least students should have skills that they should be able to rely on for life (as long as they are taught well).
Cheers

My retro-radical view is that there are two types of student - those who are able and pro-active and will research and widen their reading by themselves given time and space to do so, because they are genuinely interested and curious, and those who are there just to get a ticket and will have to be pushed every inch of the way. Turning Universities into degree factories has increased the proportion of the latter group, and the system has been set up now to pump them through rather than support and develop the genuinely intelligent and enterprising.

This is social philosophy and vested interest having its effect on education systems. Some of us think innate genetic talent is the key and should be encouraged, others think we are all born equally able and can be trained into being brilliant.

[bulldogproud2]

.. whilst some of us believe that all humans are very worthwhile individuals and should be looked after. We should assist both groups of students as far as humanly possible. After all, you never know when a child or young adult is going to blossom. Rather than just look after the elite in society and create a 'class' system, with a large group that society gives up on, some of us believe it is far better to help every person achieve the most they can in life.. in whatever fields they are.
Cheers

[Jase]

.. whilst some of us believe that all humans are very worthwhile individuals and should be looked after. We should assist both groups of students as far as humanly possible. After all, you never know when a child or young adult is going to blossom. Rather than just look after the elite in society and create a 'class' system, with a large group that society gives up on, some of us believe it is far better to help every person achieve the most they can in life.. in whatever fields they are.
Cheers

(that's not a sarcastic clap either)

[Gozu]

REDMOND'S internal rivals are confident of forcing her resignation with a formal statement signed by a majority of MPs declaring she has lost their support.

Likely leadership challenger Martin Hamilton-Smith will this weekend attend his daughter's wedding in Lebanon before jetting home and confronting a party in crisis.

Support for him to become leader has firmed in recent days with emerging Liberal Steven Marshall as deputy.

Ms Redmond is refusing to stand down despite internal calls for her to allow a smooth transition.

For a leadership ballot to be held, insurgent forces must gather six signatures and give three full days' notice.

A Hamilton-Smith backer has told The Advertiser they are confident 13 or more signatures can be gathered from the 25 Liberal MPs. It is hoped this unusual move would prevent a bloody party room battle.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6478995892

[stan]

REDMOND'S internal rivals are confident of forcing her resignation with a formal statement signed by a majority of MPs declaring she has lost their support.

Likely leadership challenger Martin Hamilton-Smith will this weekend attend his daughter's wedding in Lebanon before jetting home and confronting a party in crisis.

Support for him to become leader has firmed in recent days with emerging Liberal Steven Marshall as deputy.

Ms Redmond is refusing to stand down despite internal calls for her to allow a smooth transition.

For a leadership ballot to be held, insurgent forces must gather six signatures and give three full days' notice.

A Hamilton-Smith backer has told The Advertiser they are confident 13 or more signatures can be gathered from the 25 Liberal MPs. It is hoped this unusual move would prevent a bloody party room battle.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6478995892

I find that amazing really. All the libs have to do to win the next election is turn up and now they are probably going to shoot themselves enough to keep labour in power. Amazing stuff.

This is almost as good as Vicky Chapman not ruling out a leadership challenege in the week before the last election. Well done libs your all so bloody useless you make Labour look good.

[GWW]

Not necessarily. Its nowhere near as clear cut as the Federal election (although with Abbott as leader thats not a foregone conclusion either).

Redmond's Public Service cuts blunder was significant. The ALP will harp on about it until the next election and it will distract their ability to talk about policies (when/if they eventually release some).

I'm not surprised at all the Libs are trying to replace her. Not only was it a big blunder, it also shows a pattern of poor (political) judgement.

[Psyber]

.. whilst some of us believe that all humans are very worthwhile individuals and should be looked after. We should assist both groups of students as far as humanly possible. After all, you never know when a child or young adult is going to blossom. Rather than just look after the elite in society and create a 'class' system, with a large group that society gives up on, some of us believe it is far better to help every person achieve the most they can in life.. in whatever fields they are.
Cheers

I've got no problem with helping everybody reach their full potential - in fact it is highly desirable.
However, you don't create equality in education just by hobbling the most able (and the system) to make the standard look uniform, you put extra help into the less able and maximise the achievement of all.

I also believe that "all humans are very worthwhile individuals and should be looked after."
But the philosophy of appearance rather than substance is hampering that aim in health, too, via the government's present campaign to hobble health care standards.

Examples:

1. Medicare won't fund splitting Cholesterol levels into HDL and LDL unless total Cholesterol is elevated, yet you can have low total and a bad ratio.

2. Medicare has for years refused to fund Thyroid hormone levels - T4 and T3 - unless TSH is elevated, except in restricted special cases, but TSH is an indirect and not completely reliable guide to Thyroid function in certain types of the disorder that are not covered by the special case approvals.

3. There is now a campaign to restrict Prostate Specific Antigen testing as "of little use" in detecting cancer, and surgery for detected cancer as "not prolonging life" significantly.
The truth is that one PSA level by itself is "of little use" but sudden changes in repeats tests are an indication for biopsy to check for cancer. As for surgery not prolonging life: low grade cancer with no treatment means you probably won't get secondaries for about 10 years, and add radiotherapy you may be OK for 15-18 years. Yet many can expect to live longer than this at the time of diagnosis if you eliminate any risk of future secondaries by removing the cancer while it is restricted to the gland. Yes, if you already have spread, eve microscopic, it won't prolong your life, but you are better off having the gland removed while the cancer is still contained.

I suspect he whole thing in both fields is about trying to look good while saving money for important things like MP salaries and perks.

[Gozu]

Former Labor MP Bernard Finnigan now named as the politician facing child porn charges:

BERNIE Finnigan, who once described himself as a "servant of Christ", has been one of the most influential figures in the ALP.

A key member of the powerful Right faction, Finnigan, born and educated in the South-East, was Government Leader in the Upper House, as well as acting Police Minister, when police raided his house in April last year and allegedly seized child pornography.

He had been appointed to the ministry in the February reshuffle instituted by then Premier Mike Rann.

Finnigan, who is unmarried, was elected to the Upper House in May 2006, after serving for five years as assistant secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees' Association.

He joined the Legislative Council to replace former Aboriginal Affairs minister Terry Roberts after his death from cancer.

A practising Catholic, his elevation to Parliament was seen by some political commentators as evidence of the influence in Cabinet of the Christian Right.

After attending Adelaide University and joining the ALP in 1992, Finnigan had been a confidante of Right faction leader Senator Don Farrell.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6480607363

[smac]

Creepy looking dude.

[Jimmy_041]

Do not the words Finnigan, who is unmarried,............... link being unmarried with being involved with child pornography?

[smac]

I thought that's what 'Catholic' meant.

[Gozu]

Creepy looking dude.

He couldn't look creepier if he tried.

A little bit of backstory on Finnigan and in general the religious right of the ALP:

broken this down again to who belonged to the Religious Right and who amongst the 18 were in Labor Unity as the Pragmatic Right.
In my opinion Rau, Breuer, Geraghty, Wortley, Wright and possibly Sibbons are pragmatic right members –at times may not be too comfortable in the group – but this then leaves 12 who are loosely of the Religious Right.

It is possible that Foley, Holloway, Fox, Odenwalder and Vlahos* are religious right pragmatics but Finnigan, Snelling Kenyon, possibly O’Brien and Zollo, are true products of the religious right with Atkinson and Koutsantonis as back up enforcers. – This is the core Catholic Right – they may not all be Catholic but this group are there because of Farrell and Malinauskas – the so called power of the SDA. * Vlahos is believed to be a member of Emily’s list.

It was then that I met Bernie Finnigan. Of course Finnigan and I clashed on the sub- branch floor and when the right realised that I had admitted into Party membership of the ALP and had turned out to be a person who was not a friend of the right…they moved against me. Finnigan charged me with being a non member – I was in a way expelled again and forced to reapply…go before State Convention and do my required Mea Culpa regrets. Michael Atkinson then rushed to the microphone to propose my re-admittance.
In the Catholic world – Pope Pius X11 went to his eternal reward in 1959 and he was refreshingly replaced by John XX111. (See photo list D)

To conclude this story we need to recognise that Joe de Bruyn is top of this story, followed by his deputy in South Australia Don Farrell and future up and coming star Peter Malinauskas to follow.

Now is the time to tell you of my personal observation of Bernard Finnigan a person who appears to me to be all that would be expected of an Opus Dei member. I can only concede that they would consider him of a high intellectual standard.
At some time after being charged within the ALP by Finnigan – I noticed that he was selling his home in Clearview – One of my daughters was looking fo ra property in the area at that time so both my wife Marie and I went to inspect the house. It was like going into a monastery – austere, religious tapestries on the wall, prayer kneelers – praying areas but I have to admit I did not see any flogging chambers.

Now I am not being critical of Bernard and his religious activities – that is his right and his business – but it does give me reason to believe he is a members of either the Legionaries of Christ, Opus Dei, or both.

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/201 ... bor-in-sa/

[southee]

Former Labor MP Bernard Finnigan now named as the politician facing child porn charges:

BERNIE Finnigan, who once described himself as a "servant of Christ", has been one of the most influential figures in the ALP.

A key member of the powerful Right faction, Finnigan, born and educated in the South-East, was Government Leader in the Upper House, as well as acting Police Minister, when police raided his house in April last year and allegedly seized child pornography.

He had been appointed to the ministry in the February reshuffle instituted by then Premier Mike Rann.

Finnigan, who is unmarried, was elected to the Upper House in May 2006, after serving for five years as assistant secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees' Association.

He joined the Legislative Council to replace former Aboriginal Affairs minister Terry Roberts after his death from cancer.

A practising Catholic, his elevation to Parliament was seen by some political commentators as evidence of the influence in Cabinet of the Christian Right.

After attending Adelaide University and joining the ALP in 1992, Finnigan had been a confidante of Right faction leader Senator Don Farrell.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6480607363

Gee!! Suprise, suprise...did not see that one coming!!!

[ORDoubleBlues]

Do not the words Finnigan, who is unmarried,............... link being unmarried with being involved with child pornography?

I'm never quite sure myself what that's got to do with anything but the media do like to make a point of it when it's about a male and not just in cases like this.

Thing I'll say is that since we've all known now for nearly 18 months who it is, he should have been kicked out 18 months ago if we are going to find him "guilty" now before he goes to trial.

[Psyber]

Do not the words Finnigan, who is unmarried,............... link being unmarried with being involved with child pornography?

I'm never quite sure myself what that's got to do with anything but the media do like to make a point of it when it's about a male and not just in cases like this.
Thing I'll say is that since we've all known now for nearly 18 months who it is, he should have been kicked out 18 months ago if we are going to find him "guilty" now before he goes to trial.

There was immediate political advantage to keeping him on while it wasn't known to the wider general public.
Now the immediate political advantage is in disassociating the party from him.
Politicians don't think long term - if they had it would have been wise to step back sooner.

Of course, they may have anticipated it never getting to court and becoming public...

[Jimmy_041]

Reading the legal side of it, his QC is claiming a glitch in the law.
WTF are the Labor Party going to do then if he gets off on a technicality????
He may remain in the Upper House as an Independent

[southee]

Reading the legal side of it, his QC is claiming a glitch in the law.
WTF are the Labor Party going to do then if he gets off on a technicality????
He may remain in the Upper House as an Independent

He probably will.

[Punk Rooster]

Reading the legal side of it, his QC is claiming a glitch in the law.
WTF are the Labor Party going to do then if he gets off on a technicality????
He may remain in the Upper House as an Independent

wonder if a lynch mob may sort out the problem for the state?

[Jimmy_041]

Gozu forgot to post this

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/liberals-would-win-by-a-landslide-poll/story-e6frea83-1226480861994

A Newspoll published in today's Australian newspaper shows the Liberals ahead 57-43 state-wide.
It shows Labor's primary vote collapsing to 28 per cent, compared to the Liberals' 43 per cent.
It is a swing of about five per cent since the 2010 election and would hand the Liberals 10 seats.
The poll was taken over the past three months and shows a significant decline in the Liberal vote in recent weeks.
It builds on the result of a snapshot Advertiser poll three weeks ago showing the Liberals up 53-47.

Mind you, with another politician sex scandal breaking, he's had his hand full with other matters

[southee]

Gozu forgot to post this

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/liberals-would-win-by-a-landslide-poll/story-e6frea83-1226480861994

A Newspoll published in today's Australian newspaper shows the Liberals ahead 57-43 state-wide.
It shows Labor's primary vote collapsing to 28 per cent, compared to the Liberals' 43 per cent.
It is a swing of about five per cent since the 2010 election and would hand the Liberals 10 seats.
The poll was taken over the past three months and shows a significant decline in the Liberal vote in recent weeks.
It builds on the result of a snapshot Advertiser poll three weeks ago showing the Liberals up 53-47.

Mind you, with another politician sex scandal breaking, he's had his hand full with other matters

Gozu had his blinkers on.......